News Broadcasting
Star Plus’ ‘Bachcha party’ to thrill kids this summer
MUMBAI: With summer vacation round the corner, Star Plus has created a special weekend show called Bachcha Party for its young viewers. Starting 16 April, this thrice a week show will be on air from Friday to Sunday at 6:30 pm for 10 weeks.
The new show, which is on the lines of Shakalaka Boom Boom’s magic pencil’s story, is about a young and lonely rich boy called Rishi and his adventures with a magic pencil. Rishi who was leading a boring and dull life without friends comes alive after he finds the magic pencil which can bring alive anything when drawn with it.
Directed by Rajan Shahi and Rohit Malhotra, this kid show is being produced by Rose audio visuals with an energetic starcast comprising child actors Smit Seth, Natalia, Sakshi, Nisha Lalwani, Radhika and Anuj.
The story will take viewers in the life of Rishi who lives with his father and three older sisters. Although he has best of every thing that money can buy, his father is rather too busy to devote any time for him – something that Rishi craves. With his sisters busy in their own lives, Rishi often finds himself lonely and miserable. He is convinced that only a miracle can change things in his life and that of his family. And the miracle happens in the form of a magic pencil.
Rishi begins his adventures with the magic pencil and realises that he can improve lives of people around him. It thus deals with various adventures experinced by Rishi with help of the pencil and soon finds life fun. He tries and improves lives of people around him. From his housekeeper, to his sisters, to his friends, Prateek and Shreya, who are twins. Meanwhile, he understands that despite being poor, the twins are happy and united.
In his search for love and affection Rishi tries to get a mother for himself by drawing her picture with the magic pencil of course. Later, he and his created mother even win over his sisters. But he soon realises, that to get his mother permanently he has to make a choice between the pencil and his mother. Now it remains to be seen what choice Rishi has to make.
After Shaka Laka Boom Boom and Sanju’s adventures Bachcha Party is a 10-week long holiday special with lot of fun, adventure, thrill and fantasy to enjoy all through the summer vacation.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
